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In an effort to get even more customers for FiOS, Verizon is offering some incentives. From now until August 15, new customers can sign up for a triple bundle (FiOS Internet with a connection speed of 25/15 Mbps or higher, TV Extreme HD service and Essentials voice service.) They then have their choice of a free Compaq Mini netbook (except for S&H,) retailing at $299.99 for only or a free Flip Ultra camcorder. A triple bundle that includes 15/5 Mbps Internet allows purchase of the netbook for $99.99 or the free cam.

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We always appreciate when a company ups their product with technology as Verizon has done with their Casio Exilim. Their first camera phone features a 5.1 megapixel sensor and a 3x optical zoom that allows cropping without detail loss. The display swivels to give an extra coverage while the phone is being used as a camera. The cellie also supports V Cast music, Visual Voice Mail and VZ Navigator. Verizon is offering the phone for $449.99, $279.99 with a 2 year contract.

Earlier we posted a fairly in-depth piece looking at some of the upcoming FiOS TV features, but we figured some of you might just be interested in this juicy tidbit. We know a bunch of you are addicted to Twitter and/or Facebook, and if you are a Verizon FiOS TV subscriber, you’ll be interested to know that both are going to be integrated into your television viewing experience by way of widgets.

The Twitter integration is particularly cool, as the widget will give you a look at what people are saying about the show you are currently watching. Could be fun for sports, or reality shows. Not so much for Keeping Up with the Kardashians (hat tip to Jason on that one.)

We have no timeline for when the widgets will be pushed out, but we do know that they are currently in beta.

As most of you know, we are big fans of VerizonFiOS here at Gear Live. The actual Internet and television services are stellar, and it’s pretty hard to find fault with things, especially since downtime is almost nonexistent. Sure, we’ve had our issues, but those are all fixed, and at this point it is pretty much smooth sailing.

Today we were inviting to a media briefing at the main hub in Everett, WA, to get a look at some of the current and upcoming features of the Verizon FiOS TV service. We were able to sit down with Eric Rabe, Senior VP of Media Relations for Verizon to get the full scoop. Of course, being who we are, we had to make sure we got questions answered about FiOS Internet and phone services as well, just to be thorough. We will just go through these in no particular order - some of this you already know, while other parts are definitely new:

HD Content: FiOS TV is completely uncompressed through Verizon. They get the signal, and pass it straight through to the subscribers box the way they received it from one of two providers (depending on where you are located.) Every market has a minimum of 100 dedicated HD channels. The caveat here (and it’s a small one) is that the cable box does not have a mode that simply passes through the content to your receiver or television the way it comes in. This means you have to set the FiOS TV cable box to display either 1080i or 720p, and it will either up-convert or down-convert depending on what you choose. I let them know it would be nice to have boxes that just passed through the resolution without any conversion taking place. Of course, if you have a TiVo Series3 or TiVo HD with a FiOS CableCARD, you don’t have this issue.

I also asked about 1080p content, since satellite is currently offering HD content in 1080p. Unfortunately, their answer is that they are a couple of software revisions away from being able to offer that, so no timeline there.

Cablevision has announced that they will be offering the fastest Internet connection ever. Beginning May 11, the plans have download speeds of up to 101 Mbps and upload speeds of 15 Mbps at a price of $54.90 to $64.90 per month. That equals out to an HD movie in only 10 minutes. It will also be making its WiFi Internet service faster by 3 Mbps at no extra charge. Rumor has it that they are competing against Verizon, which will is offering its FiOs 50 Mbps for $89.95 in NY.

Writer David Weinberger payed attention to a pamphlet he received from Verizon that informed him that he has only 45 days to opt out of allowing the company to share his personal information. That would include “information created by virtue of your relationship with Verizon Wireless,” including “services purchased including specific calls you make and receive, billing info, technical info and location info.” They promise to only share this with “affiliates, agents and parent companies.”

You might want to check your latest accompanying paperwork from the company and call 1-800-333-9956 or check your status online. After being put on hold for doing just that, David was told to go to the My Profile tab in My Verizon, click Phone controls, and he would find the link.

Verizon is offering their line of Blackberrys as a super Valentine’s Day gift. You can get up to three 8130 Pearls for free. A buy one get one free applies to their other models. That includes the Curve and 8703e for $79.00, the World Edition at a price of $99.99, and the Storm which will set you back $199.99. The deal is good while supplies last online, and each of them comes with a 2 year contract per phone.

We know a lot of you guys have been waiting for this one, so it brings us joy to share with you that Slacker Internet Radio has finally come to the BlackBerry Storm. We’ve proclaimed our love for Slacker in the past, and we’ve been enjoying it ourselves on the iPhone. This is good news to lovers of Internet radio, who also just happen to rock the Storm. You can grab it by firing up your web browser on the phone, and heading over to slacker.com. We’ve got the full release after the break for you. Also, be on the lookout, we are going to be giving away 10 Slacker Radio Plus subscriptions later today - stay tuned.

Barack Obama continues to reach the hearts of minds of the nation’s younger citizens, and you just have to look at the way technology is being used as proof. My pal John Czwartacki from Verizon just shared an interesting piece of info - Verizon Wireless DC customers sent and received 2.9 million SMS messages between the hours of 10:00 am and 2:00 pm yesterday, during the inauguration. That’s a lot of tap-typing. To give an idea of reference, that is more than three times the number os texts sent last week during the same four hour timeframe.

We don’t know where you are, but here we are in the negative numbers when it comes to outside temperature. Verizon has offered some helpful cell phone tips. The cold can run down your battery quicker, so recharge often. Because the display cover can actually become brittle, they suggest you keep it in an inside pocket so it will receive your body warmth (or get it a fuzzy cover.) Check your signal strength to determine where it is the strongest during a normal day. Finally, keep a list of emergency numbers in your address book such as police, fire, rescue agencies, and schools to check for closings.